CBD products are everywhere these days, and almost every other person has tried them at least once in their lifetime. Be it anxiety, pain, stress, or sleep troubles, CBD brands claim that the said gummy or oil can provide relief from all such conditions. Even though mislabeling is a huge issue in the industry, no one can deny that there is no solid base for such claims.
After all, there are plenty of scientific studies now on CBD that confirm its potential in the management of various health issues without any major side effects. Here is the thing though: the 2018 federal farm bill, which legalized and kicked off the whole CBD craze, did not specify any age limit for access.
So states have full control over this, and in most places, you should either be 18 or 21 to buy CBD products. Yet, there is a huge, growing market focussing on CBD for teenagers. One search will give you the whole result of such brand pages on Google.
Plus, even if there is an age bar in place, there are plenty of parents who are buying CBD in their name and giving it to their kids. So today we will try to take an in-depth look and try to understand the perspective of parents when it comes to CBD use in teenagers. It is not a quest for right or wrong, but more about what’s the fueling sentiment behind this notion.
Is CBD Safe For Kids Or Teenagers?
There is no correct way to respond to this question. It is more like an unknown thing; we do not know because of a lack of studies. The fact that CBD got legalized in 2018, then just two years after COVID arrived, means there have not been any concrete long-term studies to understand its effects on kids or teenagers.
All the data we have is anecdotal; some parents find that CBD helps their teens with ADHD, anxiety, and sleep issues. Then some do not think that it is a good thing to let their kids get dependent on some compound whenever they feel out of touch; there is always a risk of bad coping mechanisms with kids. So yeah, society is divided on the topic.
How Do Parents Feel About Giving CBD To Their Teenagers?
To understand Parents’ perspectives on CBD for Teenagers in our country, we will take a look at the findings of a poll conducted by C.S Mott Children’s Hospital. This was done just two years back in 2022 and officially known as the Mott Poll Report. For this poll, questions were asked from a national sample of parents who had kids between the ages of 3 and 18 years old.
Findings Of Mott Poll
- The majority of parents have limited knowledge about CBD use in children. Nearly half (46%) admit to knowing little, while about a third (34%) had never heard of it before the poll. Only 17% claim to have some knowledge, and a mere 3% consider themselves well-informed on the subject.
- Regarding personal experience, most parents (71%) have never used CBD products. About a quarter (24%) have tried CBD at least once, and a small portion (5%) use CBD regularly.
- Factors parents consider when thinking about adding CBD to their kid’s routine:
- Side effects (83% top priority)
- Safety testing in children (78%)
- Efficacy in children (72%)
- Doctor’s recommendation (63%)
- FDA approval (58%)
- Product reviews (41%)
- A large number of parents (73%) view CBD as a potential alternative for treating their children when traditional medicines do not work.
- When it comes to regulations, most parents (83%) support FDA oversight of CBD products. Also, a large proportion (74%) believe that CBD for children should only be available through a doctor’s prescription.
- There is some misconception about CBD’s relationship with marijuana because one-third of parents (35%) believe that CBD is the same as marijuana. This shows that there’s a huge gap in educational efforts from health and wellness departments across the country.
- The overwhelming majority of parents (over 90%) have never given or even considered giving their child a CBD product. Among those who have thought about CBD for their children, the numbers are quite low, with only 2% having actually given their child a CBD product, while 4% have only pondered over it but never acted on it. A small fraction (1%) of parents report that their child has used CBD without their permission.
- Of the small group of parents who have given or considered CBD for their children, less than a third (29%) consulted with their kid’s doctor. The top reasons these parents cited for using or considering CBD were:
- Anxiety (51%)
- Sleep issues (40%)
- ADHD (33%)
- Muscle pain (20%)
- Autism (19%)
From this small minority, 13% considered CBD for them with their overall well-being in mind.
Highlights Of This Study
Based on this study, it can be said that giving CBD to kids or teenagers is not a common practice nationally. 90% believe that CBD should only be allowed for kids if prescribed by doctors.
Out of those who have given CBD to their kid, only a third of them first talked with their doctor. Finally, the majority do find that FDA regulations should be there in the industry, but for 58% of them, it will not be a major deciding factor.
The Key Notes
To sum it up, as of now it does not seem like parents are going out of their way to give their kids or teenagers CBD. But, we must keep in mind that this was a relatively small sample, and we need more nationwide surveys to assess the real situation. Plus, more educational efforts are required to help people understand the difference between marijuana and CBD.
There have been cases where parents skipped doctor’s advice and straight up tried to treat their kid with cannabis, which led to further degradation of the kid’s health conditions. So more education, less fear mongering and wide scale studies are the need of the hour.
In some places there’s no age restriction at all, so that should change soon as well. Welp, decide for yourself, and if you do end up planning to buy CBD, make sure to get it from well tested brands like Colorado Botanicals.
